The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1887-11-03

Europe, and the price not on,r,
that, but for all hal is used in im tor
lea, is fixed in Great Britain and N
u government does not allow e'
yard Of cotton cloth imported witbous
a tax of about 60 per cent. of its vaI"a
This enables American spinners to 1s
dersell the British looms, and nroroau
the importation of British cloth hut
does not prevent British spinners FROM
discriminating against American cot
ton in every conceivable manner ouS
in constantly crowding the price ~
the staple down, so as to enable tboua
to compete with the American spinner
The condition simply is, that tbo
British spinner fixes the price on everv
pound of cotton raised, and the effact
of our laws is to make him virtuaIlv
interested in reducing the price of orr
cotton. We're it not for this tariff.law
discrimination against him by an od
valorem tax, he would as soon see cot.
ton hight as low; and would, perhans
prefer it high.
Our people occupy the ridiculous
position of not only paying the New
England spinner about SO per cent
more for the cotton cloth than it is
worth, but they, by submitting to that
law, allow conditions that very nat.
urally reduce the price of every pound
Of cotton they raise.
1t is not claimed that as cotton plan.
tiers and Alliance men we should de.
mand the abolition of all tariff, that
would not be province in that ca.
pacity. We may do that as citizens,
if we choose, but as cotton ~raisers and
an Alliance business organization, we
have a right to demand the correc.
ton of evils that af1ict and sap the
very life blood from our business,
Merchants, bankers, insurance men
and all others do the same. But in 50
doing we should be careful that we do
not infict wrongs IN others, or on
other interests.
1t is claimed by many intelligent
and honest thinkers, that if we reduce
the tariff on manufactured cotton
goods, that we would ruin American
manufacturing; and we might with
propriety reply, which is the most es.
s%ential, that the few American facto,
tories keep on paying a dividend, of
from 20 to As per cent. and that the
many farmers become tenants, serfs
and slaves, or that the manufacturer
be placed upon a level with the agri.
culturalist, and that each be allowed
the fruits of his own labor and a fair
interest on the money invested? But
our object is not to show the effect
that a reduction of the cotton tariff
would have on the mills. In the first
place there is no surplus of cotton
raised in the world, and this is proven
by the fact that there is no accumula,
ton of it. Now it is that the old doc
trine of price being regulated by de,
mand and supply holds good in this
instance, but in a country where every
seventh person is either a pauper or is
the recipient of public charity in some
shape, the demand is very materially
modified by the ability to purchase;
and that whenever the ability to pur-
chase is enhanced, the demand will be
very materially increased.
Now, if by reducing the tariff, Eng:
fish cotton goods were introduced
cheaper, goods would increase, the
ability to purchase and the i%ncresed
demand would act upon the limited
cotton supply by increasing the price
of the raw cotton, which would IN turn
again raise the price of the cloth to It's
present price, or, perhaps, higher, ana
still keep up the increased ability TO
purchase by the increased amount Oh
money put in circulation blythe cotton
producers, who would be receiving an
increased price for his cotton. There
fore, the result would be not to lessen
the price of cotton goods, but to II,
creas the price Of raw cotton; and IL
is held that the increased demand, as
far as justice is necessary, compensate
the mills for the loss of profit.
In conclusion, it is hereby recon-
mended, that this body formulate
some plan of universal co-operatlGn
among our people, whereby each Sup,
County and State Alliance shall have
an agent, and that the National agens
be chairman of a board composed u
the different State agents, and that q
system be established for conducting
the production and disposition OF tIe
cotton crop. Such a board coulu
have accurate and reliable information